Domain Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a domain name cost?

The cost of your domain will depend on the exact domain name you choose.

On our hosting platform, our domains start at $12 per year and includes premium features like domain locking, email forwarding, DNS management and more.

Our pricing is always transparent with no surprises and you can see our current domain pricing by visiting https://mydashboard.webhostingm.com/domainchecker.php

Is it possible to transfer my domain to Hostragon?

Yes ... existing and/or new customers can transfer a domain name to us for easier management. Please https://mydashboard.webhostingm.com/cart.php?a=add&domain=transfer

The system will guide you through the simple steps of transferring your domain.

Is your domain migration free?

Not really since you have to pay for another year. But when the domain transfer is completed, another year is added to it. So, the cost of the transfer is actually the cost for the next annual registration.

Does Hostragon offer DNS services?

Yes we do and we recommend using our DNS systems since it’s free and more reliable than any other DNS service provider.

Hosting your DNS with us gives our technical team easier access to trouble-shoot DNS related issues faster.

What are your name-servers?

Our name-servers are:

• ns1.mydnsnode.com # 34.235.242.161
• ns2.mydnsnode.com # 54.193.217.190
• ns3.mydnsnode.com # 18.181.140.148
• ns4.mydnsnode.com # 18.156.107.253

What is the cost for domain registration?

The cost of a domain name is determined by the TLD (top level domain) which is the part of a domain that comes after the dot, for example, com, org or net. You can see the current prices at https://mydashboard.webhostingm.com/domainchecker.php

How can I get my domain name?

To purchase a new domain name for your project, please visit https://mydashboard.webhostingm.com/domainchecker.php

You can also do that when placing a web hosting order.

Which domain endings does Hostragon Domains offer?

With over 400 domain endings to choose from, we make it easy to find a simple, memorable domain that’s just right for you.

Please visit our TLD overview page at https://mydashboard.webhostingm.com/domainchecker.php to see the full list of endings available.

What happens to my domain registration if I cancel hosting?

If you registered your domain with us, then we will keep your domain registration active even if you cancel your hosting service. You will only be billed for your domain registration only at the next renewal date.

If you no longer want the domain registration, then you should not renew it at the next billing term.

Please note that domain registration fees are not refundable.

However, if you do not renew your domain registration, others may register it.
Unless you are certain about releasing the domain name, it’s better to continue the registration so you don't lose it.

How long does it take to register a domain name?

This will largely depend on the TLD you’ve selected to use. But often domain registration takes few minutes to be completed.

However, if we are unable to verify the payment method used for the domain name order, it will delay the process by several hours or even days.

Once the domain is successfully registered, it will show up in your account.

How long will my domain name be registered for?

For most of top-level domains (TLDs) registries, domain names are typically registered for one (1) - two (2) years.

However, the longer you register the domain name, the cheaper the price. Registering for a longer term also ensures that you won't lose access to the domain in case you forgot to renew it.

We try to prevent this by ensuring that when you register a domain with Hostragon or transfer a domain name to Hostragon, we configure the domain to renew automatically.

What kind of information do I need to provide to register a domain name?

To successfully register a domain name, you need to provide contact information for the registrant of the domain, including name, address, phone number, and email address.

If the administrative and technical contacts are different, you need to provide that contact information, too.

Why should I share personal information just to register a domain?

This actually is to protect you. It is also for us to adhere to ICANN rule which states that requires that registrars provide contact information, including name, address, and phone number for every domain name registration. The rule also dictate that registrars make this information publicly available via a WHOIS database.

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is the global governing body for domain registration.

But there is a leeway though for the privacy-conscious.

If you do not want the information for the domain name you registered as an individual to be public, we do provide privacy protection service which hides your personal phone number, email address, and physical address.

Instead of anyone seeing these, the WHOIS will contain the registrar’s name and mailing address, along with a registrar-generated forwarding email address that third parties may use if they wish to contact you.

What do you mean by WHOIS?

WHOIS is a publicly available database for all registered domain names. It normally lists the contact information and the name servers that are associated with the domain name and the information is accessible to anyone.

You can access the WHOIS database by using what is called a WHOIS command which is included in most operating systems and also available as a web application on many websites.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) requires that all domain names have publicly available contact information in case someone needs to get in contact with the domain name holder.

If I'm not tech-savvy, can my developer help me manage my domain?

Absolutely. You can give those responsible for the technical aspect of your website permissions to manage your domain’s registration and DNS settings. Even though you share the domain name info, it won’t change its ownership.

But please, do ensure that you have access to the email address.

We have seen cases where a domain owner and someone administering the domain parted ways and the domain was appropriated/seized by the developer.

Ensuring that the WHOIS email address is an email address you have direct control over means that you will still be able to exercise control over the domain at all times even when the technical email address is different.

How do I choose a good domain name?

This is a crucial and an important step for every online venture.

A good domain name can help increase user interests in your brand, shape your website users’ initial impressions of your business or organization and even drive web traffic to the website.

So you can say that it can spell success or otherwise for the business.

Here are some guidelines to help you choose the best domain for you:

• Name length: It is recommended that you start with a short domain name between 3 to 4 terms. Short domains are easier to remember and type which helps users navigate directly to your site. The challenge to this is that it might be difficult to find one. That's where you can get creative.
• Keywords: Ensure that the domain name has relevancy to what you intend to do with the website. If a domain name is descriptive, it helps first-time viewers recognize what your website is all about or selling. It is known that having a descriptive domain name can improve the chances that your site will show up to users who are searching for related products or services. 
• Location: If your intended audience is in a particular area, you may want to include that location in your domain name. Say you are offering dog walking service in Orange County, California. A domain name such as orangecountydogwalker.com or orangecountydogwalker.pet can help filter out any unintended audience outside your scope and give your website/service a big boost.
• Brand name: A brand is a unique, identifying persona that can help your domain stand out. Brands create potential for distinctiveness and longevity because users can quickly recognize established brands. Brands can take time to develop, but a successful brand can pay dividends for your site’s popularity.
• Domain endings: The most popular domain ending is .com, but we do offer a wide range of endings, ranging from .academy to .zone. More specific endings can help create a distinctive image and better communicate the purpose of your site.

  Regardless of what you may have read online, using a domain name with alternative endings does not negatively affect your search ranking.

Things you need to avoid when purchasing a new domain name.

There are things that if you watch out for, may negatively impact your domain name’s perception:

• Numbers or dashes: These characters can make your site name harder to type or remember.
• Misspellings of existing words or business names: These attributes can make your site seem suspicious for spamming or phishing.
• Similarity to an existing brand or trademark: Naming your site and hosting content in a way that appears similar to an existing business may cause copyright or abuse complaints against you, potentially resulting in domain suspension and/or legal action.
• Buying a domain with sketchy history: If you see an already registered name that you believe is the right domain for your online project, do your due diligence. Research the domain and all its back links before committing to buying it. If you don't know how to do this, hire someone with the skills to do that for you. Failure to do this might result in you having a black-listed domain.

How do I search for a domain?

1. Navigate to https://mydashboard.webhostingm.com/domainchecker.php.
2. Enter a name in the search box at the top of the page.
3. Review the search results to determine if the domain is available. If it is and you’re ready to purchase, buy the domain.
4. If you are unable to see what you like, you can refine your domain search.

   When you search for a domain, our systems automatically searches for that domain with several popular endings (.com, .business). You have several options to refine your search:

   • Search for a specific ending: If you’re interested in a specific ending for your domain (example.com), include it in your search.
   • Find more available endings: Enter only your preferred domain name (e.g. example). Our intelligent automated will provide you with suggestions based on the domain or keywords a user enters and also show you available variations. 
5. Looking to be distinctively unique? Then use non-ascii characters.

   Non-ASCII domains are called Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs). Internationalized domain name (IDN) is an Internet domain name that contains at least one label that is displayed in software applications, in whole or in part, in a language-specific script or alphabet, such as Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Hebrew or the Latin alphabet-based characters with diacritics or ligatures, such as French.

To search for domains with non-ASCII characters, you can use 2 methods: 

• Paste the characters directly into the search bar, like グーグル.
• Enter the punycode representation of the characters, like xn--qcka1pmc.

How do I verify my email address after registration?

After you register your domain, you'll get an email from domains[at]hostragon.com to the email address you provided as the domain contact email address. This email will include a link that you can us to verify your email address.

To complete the registration process, please open the email and follow the link to do that.

Please note that newly registered domains that fail to verify their email address are suspended after 5 days.

Moreover, if you transfer a domain out of Hostragon Domains to another registrar, you may need to verify the domain if you want to continue using the domain.

If I registered a domain name with Hostragon, can I switch to a different registrar later?

Yes, it is your right to transfer your domain name registrations between registrars.

What is domain transfer?

A domain transfer is the process of moving a domain name from one registrar to another. Once a domain transfer has been performed, the registrar the domain was transferred to will henceforth handle all information pertaining the domain and its management.

How then do I transfer my domain name to a new registrar?

If you wish to move your domain name from one ICANN-accredited registrar to another, you should initiate the transfer process by contacting the registrar to which you wish to transfer the name.

The process of transferring your domain name to another registrant often involve initiating a change of registrant by contacting your current registrar. Your registrar will then ask for your confirmation via a secure mechanism (which typically will take the form of an email to the registered name holder).

You must provide your confirmation within the number of days set by your registrar (not to exceed 60 days) or your transfer will not proceed. Once your registrar receives confirmation from you, they will process the transfer and notify you and the new registrant once the transfer is completed.

Please note that there are certain situations that can prevent a domain name from being transferred. For example, if the status of the domain says "transferProhibited" or the domain is less than 60-days old.

Why can't I transfer a domain name after I just registered it?

These rules (preventing a domain name from being transferred to a different registrar within 60 days of initial registration) is actually in place for your protection against unauthorized transfers.

If your ultimate goal is to transfer the domain name, you may want to consider completing the transfer process before changing your contact information.

Another situation is if the domain name is subject to a 60-day Change of Registrant lock. You cannot transfer a domain name to a different registrar within 60 days of making changes to the registrant name, organization or email address (or the Administrative Contact email address, if there is no registrant email address).

A registry at their discretion though, may provide an option for you to opt-out of this 60-day lock period.

Registrars also have the option of denying a transfer request within 60 days from when you last transferred the domain name to a different registrar.

If you are changing web-hosting providers instead of registrars, you have the option to avoid the inter-registrar transfer process (and lock) altogether.

All you need to do is update your domain name's nameservers or change the hosting IP address assigned to your domain name.

If you are moving the domain to us, do ask our support team for help with this. If you are doing this with another hosting provider, please check with your registrar and/or hosting provider to see what options you have.

The registrar is asking me for an authorization code. What is an authorization/EPP/transfer code?

An EPP Code (also called an Authorization Code, EPP code, AuthInfo Code, Auth-Info Code, or transfer code) is a code created by a registrar to help identify the domain name holder and prevent unauthorized transfers (also known as a registrant or registered name holder). It is basically a password for a domain name.

This code is required for a domain holder to transfer a domain name from one registrar to another.

Most registrars allows you to generate and manage this code via a domain online management interface. If your registrar doesn't allow this, please contact them directly to obtain it. ICANN rule states that your registrar must provide you with the code within five (5) calendar days of your request.

I don't know who my domain name registrar is?

If you don't know who your current domain name registrar is, Domain Name Registration Data Lookup and type in the domain, then search. The "Registrar" field shows you who your registrar is.

My registrar is refusing to transfer my domain name?

That is not permitted unless the following circumstances are true:

• if your registrar shows evidence of fraud
• if the domain name is the subject of a UDRP proceeding.
• if the domain name is the subject of a TDRP proceeding.
• if the domain name is the subject of a URS proceeding or URS suspension.
• if the domain name is subject to a court order by a court of competent jurisdiction.
• if there is a reasonable dispute over the identity of the person authorizing the transfer.
• if the domain name is on hold due to payment owed for a previous registration period (including credit card charge-backs).
• if there is an express written objection from the domain name holder.
• if the domain name is in "Lock" status (Registrars must provide a readily accessible and reasonable means for name holders to remove the lock status. Contact your registrar for assistance.)
• if the domain name is within 60 days of initial registration.
• if the domain name is within 60 days of a previous transfer.
• if the domain name is subject to 60-Day Change of Registrant lock.

In any case though, your registrar is required to specify a reason when denying your transfer request.

To resolve this, please contact either the current registrar or the registrar you wish to transfer to for information on the denial.

How do I transfer a domain to Hostragon?

To transfer a domain to Hostragon, you or someone else must manage the domain through another registrar.

It means that you must have permission and cooperation from the domain’s current owner to initiate the process.

To start, prepare the domain name for transfer by completing a number of steps on the registrar where the domain is currently managed.

1. Unlock the domain name: Many registrars (including us) normally lock the domain to prevent an unauthorized user from transferring that domain. If you are transferring a domain out of Hostragon, please ask us to unlock the domain. If you are transferring in to Hostragon, please do check with the domain’s current registrar for instructions on how to update the lock setting so the domain is eligible for transfer.
2. Ensure that you can access the domain WHOIS email address.
3. Get an authorization code from your registrar: Most registrars call it an authorization code, transfer code, or EPP code. The authorization code is a unique string of characters.

   For .jp domains, look for the REG-ID code (e.g. REG-##-####-####). If you can't find the code, you can use the placeholder code REG-00-0000-0000.

   For .co.uk and .uk domains, you will need an IPS TAG because Nominet, the registry for .co.uk and .uk, uses a push transfer process during transfers.

   First, change the Registrar tag (also known as an IPS tag) for the domain at your current registrar to ENOM. Your current registrar will then alert the registry of this change. Then initiate the transfer process. It is highly advise that you only transfer one domain in each transfer request.

4. Turn off privacy protection if enabled: Your registrar may also require you to make your WHOIS contact information public by turning off privacy protection for the domain. Most registrars call it private registration, WHOIS privacy, registration privacy or privacy.

   It is worth noting that once you turned off privacy protection, your WHOIS contact information may be publicly available while you complete the transfer process. After you successfully transfer your domain, you can make your information private again.

5. Once you have completed these steps, visit https://mydashboard.webhostingm.com/cart.php?a=add&domain=transfer
6. Enter the domain name that you want to transfer.
7. Enter the authorization code that you collected when you prepared the domain for transfer.
8. Click Proceed to checkout.
9. Enter your payment information.

You will receive a transfer confirmation email from the current domain owner.

If you don’t respond to the email, the current owner could deny the transfer.

Once you have completed the payment process, our system will initiate the domain transfer process and a "Domain Transfer Initiated" email notification will be sent to the customer.

Our systems will also send the "Domain Transfer Completed" email notification to you once the domain transfer from another registrar has completed, and the domain will be set to the "Active" status.

How do I check the status of a pending domain transfer?

Domain transfers can take 5 - 7 days to complete. You can check the status of your transfer using the steps below signing in to your customer portal, navigating to Domains > My Domains.

If the domain transfer was successful, it will be set to the "Active" status.

Why are you charging me a fee to transfer to Hostragon?

To transfer a domain to Hostragon from another registrar, you must typically buy one additional year of registration. In these cases, this additional year of registration is the only cost involved with transferring a domain.

Check the reference of domain ending details to confirm the cost and registration requirements for domain transfers.

Do you offer auto-renew grace period during domain transfers?

When you don’t renew a domain, the registrar automatically renews the domain. When this happen, you have an auto-renew grace period to cancel your domain registration. The auto-renew grace period is about 45 days for .com and .net domains and varies for other TLDs. When you cancel your registration, the registrar provides a refund for the registration cost.

If you transfer a domain to Hostragon during the auto-renew grace period, you won’t see an increase in the registration expiration date when we add a year because the transfer cancels the previous renewal. To get a refund for the other year, contact the previous registrar.

What can I do if I believe my registrar is in violation of the ICANN Transfer Policy?

If you believe your registrar is in violation of the ICANN Transfer Policy, you may submit a report via the ICANN Registrar Problem Report Form or use ICANN Approved Dispute Resolution Service Providers. Please note that ICANN does not resolve individual complaints.

Does Hostragon DNS support DNSSEC?

Yes, we do as a web hosting provider.

However, not all registries supports configuration of signed DNSSEC keys for domains. We support ones that do.

What is a Domain Name System (DNS) Service?

DNS is a globally distributed service that translates human readable names like www.hostragon.com into the numeric IP addresses like 192.0.2.1 that computers use to connect to each other.

The Internet’s DNS system works much like a phone book by managing the mapping between names and numbers. For DNS, the names are domain names (www.hostragon.com) that are easy for people to remember and the numbers are IP addresses (192.0.2.1) that specify the location of computers on the Internet.

DNS servers translate requests for names into IP addresses, controlling which server an end user will reach when they type a domain name into their web browser. These requests are called queries.

Which DNS record types does Hostragon support?

Hostragon currently supports the following DNS record types:

• A (address record)
• AAAA (IPv6 address record)
• CNAME (canonical name record)
• CAA (certification authority authorization)
• DMARC (domain-based message authentication, reporting, and conformance)
• DNSSEC (domain name system security extensions)
• MX (mail exchange record)
• NS (name server record)
• PTR (pointer record)
• SOA (start of authority record)
• SPF (sender policy framework)
• SRV (service locator)
• TXT (text record)
• and others.

Please note that SOA (start of authority record), AFSDB (AFS database record), DNAME, DS (delegation signer), HINFO (host information), LOC (location record), NAPTR (naming authority pointer), PTR (pointer record), RP (responsible person) and NS (nameserver record) are ONLY available to WHM (Web Host Manager) administrators.

To add these, contact our technical team or your server admin with the request because if you select this setting, the system directs you to the Edit DNS Zone interface (WHM >> Home >> DNS Functions >> Edit DNS Zone).

What is a TTL?

Time to live (TTL) refers to the amount of time or “hops” in seconds that a sent packet can exist inside a network before being discarded.

It determines how long a DNS cache server can serve a DNS record before reaching out to the authoritative DNS server and getting a new copy of the record. In simpler terms, TTL value specifies how long clients can cache DNS zone data.

If you are transferring a domain or a web hosting account, set the TTL times on your DNS to a short value (something like 300 seconds will do) 12-24 hrs, before the actual migration and DNS changes.

What is the default TTL for the various record types and can I change these values?

Our TTL is set 14400 by default. Shorter TTL values can cause heavier loads on the nameserver, but return more accurate information for zones that contain records that change frequently.

However, customers can alter or specify a different value between 0 and 2147483647 in seconds following RFC 2181 specification.

How do I point my domain to Hostragon?

Step 1: Complete the prerequisites

Confirm that the necessary DNS record types for your domain are supported by our DNS zone. Hostragon DNS zone currently supports these record types:

• A - an A record maps a domain, such as example.com, or a subdomain, such as example.com to a web server’s or instance’s IP address, such as 123.0.456.789.
  If an A record for the apex of your domain is already present in your DNS zone, then you will need to edit that existing record instead of adding another A record.

• AAAA - AAAA Record points your hostname to an IPv6 address. The record AAAA specifies IP address (IPv6) for given host. In other words, it resolves a domain name (or points the domain name) to the correct location by means of the IPv6 address.

• CAA - Certificate Authority Authorization Record CAA Record allows you to specify which certificate authority (CA) will issue an SSL certificate for a domain.

• CNAME - a Canonical Name Record record maps an alias or subdomain, such as www.example.com, to another domain, such as example.com, or another subdomain, such as blog.example.com

• DMARC - Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance indicates the action for a mail server to take when it receives mail from this domain, but that message fails SPF and DKIM checks.

• MX - Mail Exchanger record maps a subdomain, such as mail.example.com, to an email server address with priority values when multiple servers are defined.

• SRV - Service Record provides information about available services on specific ports on your server.

• TXT - Text Record record maps a subdomain to plain text. You create TXT records to confirm ownership of your domain to a service provider.

Step 2: Sign in to cPanel

Scroll down to Domains and click on Zone Editor. You will be redirected to the DNS zone management page, where you can add DNS records or delete the DNS zone.

Step 3: Sign in to your current DNS hosting provider.

1. Sign in to the website of your domain’s current DNS hosting provider.
2. Reduce Time to live (TTL) for each DNS record.
3. Change your domain’s name servers to our name servers. Allow time for the name server change to propagate through the internet's DNS, which might take several hours. After that is completed, internet traffic for your domain should begin routing through our DNS systems.
4. Change each domain zone record to the ones we sent to you in your new hosting account email.

For detailed steps to complete this process, see the documentation from your domain’s current DNS hosting provider.